Geographical epidemiology of Hyalomma anatolicum and Rhipicephalus microplus in Pakistan

The livestock sector contributes almost 11% of Pakistan’s GDP and is crucial to 35 million people’s livelihoods. Ticks are a major economic threat, as over 80% of livestock, such as bovines, are tick-infested with Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus tick species. Hyalomma anatolicum and Rhipicephalus microplus are the most common tick species collected from livestock, primarily transmitting anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and theileriosis. We aimed to identify the geographical distribution of these two tick species and hot spot areas where the risk of these diseases being transmitted by these ticks is high. Using the available published data on these two tick species, we found that 75 districts, representing 49.3% of the country's total area, detected at least one tick species through animal collection. R. microplus was present in 81% (n=61) and H. anatolicum in 82% (n=62) of these sampled districts. We employed spatial and conventional statistical methods with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) after mapping the weighted distribution of both ticks (the number of ticks per standard unit of sampling effort). We identified hotspots with the highest tick distribution, which aligned with the documented high prevalence of anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), and theileriosis in these regions. This underscores the urgent need for robust tick control measures in the hotspot regions to safeguard animal health, boost the livestock economy, and reduce the zoonotic risk of TBDs.